Serious circus training hasn’t historically had much of a place in higher education. Sure, some universities have student troupes and aerial classes, but these extracurriculars don’t qualify for academic credit. Performers who have wanted to really study circus in depth have had to attend a separate professional training program that does not come with a college degree.
Well, that changes this fall. Boston Conservatory at Berklee is launching the U.S.’s first-ever minor in circus arts. “We will be the only higher-ed institution that has an academic program in circus in the country,” says dean of dance Tommy Neblett. “This is going to fill a gap for students who want to go to college and want to pursue circus training.”
Circus isn’t totally new to the school. Boston Conservatory’s Dance Division first began offering circus arts classes like masks and clowning in 2023. Even students who were initially hesitant ended up loving it, according to associate professor of dance Naomi Bailis. “Dancers don’t realize that they’re very good actors, largely because they already have that mind–body connection in spades,” she says. “They took to it beautifully.”
The new minor, launching this fall, will build on those classes through a collaboration with Boston Conservatory’s Theater Division. Students working toward the minor will take a minimum of 12 credits in academic and experiential courses, like tumbling, juggling, commedia dell’arte, partnering skills, and history of the circus. Any Berklee student who is interested—even a voice major, for instance—is welcome to declare a circus arts minor.
The idea is to give students well-rounded training as performing artists, so that they have a variety of career options after graduation. Particularly in today’s dance landscape, this kind of versatility can be a major advantage. “As a dancer, if you have tumbling and acrobatic training, it’s just an extra skill in your toolbox for career pursuits,” Neblett says. He points not only to Cirque du Soleil but Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show and Water for Elephants on Broadway as examples of various jobs for performers with specialized circus training.
At the same time, Neblett is very realistic about the program’s beginnings. “I am under no illusions that we will be a high-level circus training program that will feed directly into Cirque du Soleil—that takes years,” he says. “This is just the first step.” Neblett says that, for now, the minor is really designed for students who are more or less beginners in circus. But his goal is to eventually build up the program to become a destination for serious pre-professional circus training.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of room to grow: The dance program is opening three new studios this September, and five more will be added the following fall. Within the next five years, Neblett hopes to have a dedicated circus studio with specialized rigging to do aerial work like silks, ropes, hoops, and trapeze.
Already, though, the students themselves are clearly excited: Neblett says all the circus classes for this fall have a waiting list.
Bailis isn’t surprised. “Circus offers a counterpoint to the rigors of dancing, and allows dancers to learn how to play and to not censor themselves and to allow their imaginations to really take them somewhere,” she says. That can have positive ripple effects, whether dancers go after an acrobatic career or pursue choreography or do any kind of performing arts projects. “It builds up that ability to listen and respond, both externally and internally, that makes someone’s artistic pursuits very fascinating to watch,” Bailis says. “This is just another way to develop the incredible talent of these students.”
Learn more about Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s top-ranking BFA programs in contemporary and commercial dance.
